In the first half of our two-part series on young Americans and debt, Denver debt-relief attorneys identified key financial stressors currently plaguing young Americans aged 34 and younger. These include:

~ a job market unwelcoming to recent college grads (one recent Pew Research Center reports reveals that in 2011, the unemployment rate among 18- to 24-year-olds was 16.3 percent, 6 percent higher than among 25- to 29-year-olds (10.3 percent), and more than 7.5 percent higher than among 3o to 34-year-olds), ~ student loan debt in excess of $25,000 per 2010 college graduate, and ~ the accumulation and persistence of other personal debt -- such as car payments, outstanding medical bills, and large balances on multiple credit cards.

The Denver Post reports that many minor-aged children aren't just living with parents struggling to avoid harassing collection calls, foreclosure and bankruptcy, but that they themselves are also drowning in debt.

Industry experts suggest that to help teens avoid their own credit nightmares, lessons on spending and saving should happen alongside teaching basic hygiene. One consumer advocate, FoolProof, has gone so far as to set up lesson plans that teach young earners about money and financial responsibility. Their interactive online modules cover everything from credit scores to spending decisions to predatory lending.

One Ohio educator started her own don't-do-it-my-way blog about the realities of personal financial crisis after she and her two young sons had to move back home with her mother. (In her case, it was an expected car repair that broke the bank.) Her straight-talking "What Not To Do" series offers pragmatic financial advice, from embracing a don't-live-above-your-means lifestyle to explaining why treating credit like "free" money is a bad idea.

Struggling with debt is not something you have to do alone, because you aren't alone. The Colorado debt-relief attorneys with the Law Office of Stephen H. Swift have helped thousands of Colorado residents slash their debt and start fresh. To set up a free consultation, call (719) 520-0164 today.